Plastic pallet having reinforcing webs

ABSTRACT

A plastic pallet includes a load-supporting platform having top and bottom faces, a plurality of spaced-apart supporting legs each including a surrounding wall that defines a first receiving groove and that has a top end extending to the top face of the platform, and a plurality of reinforcing webs each disposed between two adjacent ones of the supporting legs and each including two spaced-apart web plates cooperatively defining a second receiving groove that communicates spatially with the first receiving grooves in the two adjacent supporting legs. The web plates respectively have top ends extending to the top face of the platform. Each web plate has two opposite connecting ends connected integrally and respectively as one piece with the surrounding walls of the two adjacent supporting legs. Each of the first and second receiving grooves opens at the top face of the platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 098210835, filed on Jun. 17, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a plastic pallet, more particularly to a plastic pallet having reinforcing webs.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a conventional plastic pallet 1 includes a load-supporting platform 12, and nine spaced-apart supporting legs 11 connected integrally as one piece with the platform 12. Each supporting leg 11 has a receiving groove 111 opening at a top face of the platform 12. When the plastic pallet 1 is placed on a level surface, the supporting legs 11 can provide complete and uniform support of the platform 12, so that goods 3 placed on the platform 12 can be supported stably.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, when the plastic pallet 1 is placed across two spaced-apart steel bars 51 of a storage rack, since only the supporting legs 11 that are disposed on left and right sides of the platform 12 support the platform 12, the platform 12 deforms and sags easily when loaded with the goods 3 because its structure is insufficiently rigid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a plastic pallet that has a reliable structure and that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

According to this invention, a plastic pallet comprises a load-supporting platform having top and bottom faces, a plurality of spaced-apart supporting legs extending downwardly from and connected integrally as one piece with the load-supporting platform, and a plurality of reinforcing webs each disposed between two adjacent ones of the supporting legs. Each supporting leg includes a surrounding wall that defines a first receiving groove and that has a top end extending to the top face of the load-supporting platform. The first receiving groove opens at the top face of the load-supporting platform. Each reinforcing web includes two spaced-apart web plates cooperatively defining a second receiving groove communicating spatially with the first receiving grooves in the two adjacent ones of the supporting legs. The web plates respectively have top ends extending to the top face of the load-supporting platform. Each web plate has two opposite connecting ends connected integrally and respectively as one piece with the surrounding walls of the two adjacent ones of the supporting legs. The second receiving groove opens at the top face of the load-supporting platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a conventional plastic pallet;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the conventional plastic pallet;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic view, illustrating how the conventional plastic pallet deforms and sags when loaded with goods;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a plastic pallet according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary schematic view, illustrating how the plastic pallet of the first preferred embodiment can support goods rigidly without deforming;

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view, illustrating how the plastic pallet of the first preferred embodiment is conveyed along a roller-type conveyor; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a plastic pallet according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that the same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, a plastic pallet 2 according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to comprise a load-supporting platform 23, nine spaced-apart supporting legs 21, and four reinforcing webs 22.

The load-supporting platform 23 has a top face 201, and a bottom face 202 provided with a pattern including a plurality of reinforcing ribs 232 and grooves 231 between the reinforcing ribs 232 for strengthening the structure of the platform 23.

The supporting legs 21 are arranged in three rows on the platform 23 with three supporting legs 21 in each row, and extend downwardly from and are connected integrally as one piece with the load-supporting platform 23. Each supporting leg 21 includes a surrounding wall 211 tapering downwardly from the platform 23 and having a top end extending to the top face 201 of the platform 23, and a leg bottom wall 213 connected to a bottom end of the surrounding wall 211 and cooperating with the same to define a tapered first receiving groove 212. The first receiving groove 212 opens at the top face 201 of the platform 23.

Each reinforcing web 22 is disposed between two adjacent ones of the supporting legs 22. In this embodiment, two of the reinforcing webs 22 are connected among the three supporting legs 21 that are disposed on the left row. The other two reinforcing webs 22 are connected among the three supporting legs 21 that are disposed on the right row. Each reinforcing web 22 includes two spaced-apart web plates 220 tapering downwardly from the platform 23 and respectively having top ends extending to the top face 201 of the platform 23, and a web bottom wall 222 connected to bottom ends of the web plates 220 and cooperating with the same to define a tapered second receiving groove 221. The second receiving groove 221 communicates spatially with the first receiving grooves 212 in the two adjacent ones of the supporting legs 21, and opens at the top face 201 of the platform 23. Each of the web plates 220 has two opposite connecting ends 223 connected integrally and respectively as one piece with the surrounding walls 211 of the two adjacent ones of the supporting legs 21. Further, the web bottom walls 222 of the reinforcing webs 22 are flush with the leg bottom walls 213 of the supporting legs 21.

When a plurality of the plastic pallets 2 are stacked, the nine supporting legs 21 and the four reinforcing webs 22 of an upper plastic pallet 2 are received respectively in the first receiving grooves 212 and the second receiving grooves 221 of a lower plastic pallet 2. Hence, the plastic pallets 2 can be stacked in a bottom-to-top direction.

Through the presence of the reinforcing webs 22, the structure of the whole plastic pallet 2 can be strengthened. Hence, even if only the left and right sides of the plastic pallet 2 are supported on two spaced-apart steel bars 51 of a storage rack 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the whole plastic pallet 2 is rigid and can support the weight of goods 3 without deforming, thereby overcoming the drawback of the conventional plastic pallet 1 shown in FIG. 3.

With reference to FIG. 7, when the plastic pallet 2 is conveyed on a roller-type conveyor 7, because of the presence of the reinforcing webs 22 which can prevent the supporting legs 22 from falling into a space between two adjacent ones of the rollers 71 of the conveyor 7, the plastic pallet 2 can be conveyed smoothly and stably along the roller-type conveyor 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, a plastic pallet 2 according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the leg bottom wall 213 of each supporting leg 21 is spaced apart from the bottom face 202 of the load-supporting platform 23 at a first distance, and the web bottom wall 222 of each reinforcing web 22 is spaced apart from the bottom face 202 of the platform 23 at a second distance that is smaller than the first distance. The advantages of the first preferred embodiment can be similarly achieved using the second preferred embodiment.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A plastic pallet comprising: a load-supporting platform having top and bottom faces; a plurality of spaced-apart supporting legs extending downwardly from and connected integrally as one piece with said load-supporting platform, each of said supporting legs including a surrounding wall that defines a first receiving groove and that has a top end extending to said top face of said load-supporting platform, said first receiving groove opening at said top face of said load-supporting platform; and a plurality of reinforcing webs each disposed between two adjacent ones of said supporting legs, each of said reinforcing webs including two spaced-apart web plates cooperatively defining a second receiving groove communicating spatially with said first receiving grooves in said two adjacent ones of said supporting legs, said web plates respectively having top ends extending to said top face of said load-supporting platform, each of said web plates having two opposite connecting ends connected integrally and respectively as one piece with said surrounding walls of said two adjacent ones of said supporting legs, said second receiving groove opening at said top face of said load-supporting platform.
 2. The plastic pallet of claim 1, wherein each of said supporting legs further includes a leg bottom wall connected to bottom ends of said surrounding wall and cooperating with said surrounding wall to define said first receiving groove, each of said reinforcing webs further including a web bottom wall connected to bottom ends of said web plates and cooperating with said web plates to define said second receiving groove.
 3. The plastic pallet of claim 2, wherein said web bottom walls of said reinforcing webs are flush with said leg bottom walls of said supporting legs.
 4. The plastic pallet of claim 2, wherein said leg bottom wall of each of said supporting legs is spaced apart from said bottom face of said load-supporting platform at a first distance, and said web bottom wall of each of said reinforcing webs is spaced apart from said bottom face of said load-supporting platform at a second distance that is smaller than said first distance.
 5. The plastic pallet of claim 1, wherein said bottom face of said load-supporting platform has a pattern including a plurality of reinforcing ribs and grooves between said reinforcing ribs. 